Introduction
Lambeth’s Climate Action Plan sets out our vision for the borough in
2030: a place where we can live, work, learn and enjoy life in our local
areas, where we can travel safely and easily by foot, bike and public
transport, in an environment with clean, green and nature-rich spaces.
Our homes and workplaces will be comfortable and affordable to run, with
good jobs and strong, inclusive, resilient communities where everyone’s
needs are met, and everyone plays a part.
Achieving this vision will require us to overcome the environmental
challenges we face as an inner London borough with one of the highest
population densities of any London borough. Key challenges include air
pollution that exceeds legal limits in parts of the borough, an aging
building stock that is energy inefficient and at risk of overheating,
high risk of exposure to heat and the Urban Heat Island effect, flood
risk, and limited access to green space.
Lambeth has made significant progress in recent years. Carbon
emissions are falling year on year, and per capita emissions are lower
than the London average and significantly lower than the UK wide
average. Nitrogen dioxide pollution on Brixton Road has fallen by over
60% since 2014. And ongoing work to retrofit buildings, plant trees,
install sustainable drainage systems and repurpose our streets to serve
communities over cars, is helping to reduce carbon emissions, improve
environmental quality, and increase the borough’s resilience to climate
change. However, significant work remains to achieve the vision
described above.
Key takeaways: - Carbon dioxide emissions are
falling year on year, and are lower per person in Lambeth compared to
London and England. - Although air pollutant levels have been decreasing
in recent years (for nitrous dioxide and PM 2.5), average concentrations
are still above World Health Organisation recommended levels. - Tree
canopy cover in Lambeth is lower than the London average. However,
Lambeth residents have a similar number of green spaces close to their
home as the rest of London (6.8), and significantly more than England
(4.4). - Lambeth residents are more likely to travel to work by public
transport or other sustainable means than residents of London or
England.